Letter 11-29-10

Dear Mother,
As I write you on this beautiful Thansgiving day I can't help but start this letter off with thanks from me to you. You have such a way of giving unconditional love for me and my sisters, something I really wish I could've recognized early in life. Just know that for as much as I took for granted you and your undying love for our family, I have made it up through careful prayer and repentance and how I can promise you that things will be very different after these next two years.
I'm glad Chicago was fun! That would be fun to go sometime!
That's also really cool about MacKenzie's patriarchal blessing, she is truely a great friend to me and I appreciate her example to C.J. I also really enjoyed your information and advice from Elise's husband's cousin (also serving in Managua). It's always helpful to know some inside tips. I got some from LaDawn Resendez a month ago or so but I haven't been able to write her back yet. If you see her let her know I'm sorry and that I'm workin' on it. Attached is my thoughts about the Sacrament that I hope can assist you on your lesson.
Today has been a weird Thanksgiving being away from family, but I also know that I'm not here to "have fun" and do all those things. I left all that behind.
Elder Holland spoke to us today and said something interesting, he said "don't talk to me about being homesick, don't talk to me about being alone, because everyone fled and rejected the Savior when push came to shove. You are here to help the Savior with his work becasue of what he went through for us." Let me just say, Elder Holland is the man. I can't believe Dalton is leaving the 10th of December, sorry the 12. That's crazy!! (he actually doesn't leave till the 29th) Speaking of him, ask him why he hasn't written his boy back yet, tell him bros before that H word that I won't say, hahahahaha.
Anyways, I love you mom, I can't wait to talk to you in 4 days! Keep up the good work! Our Father in Heaven is very pleased with you. Have a great Thanksgiving/week!
Love,
Elder Galvan

Email rec'd 11-25-2010

Happy thanksgiving mother,
just got back from a morning devotional with Elder Holland.Yep that makes it 5 apostles that i have seen while in here. one of the most powerfull things ive ever been apart of. the spirit was so strong that i barely got any notes because i was so fixated on listening and not missing a single word or phrase. What a great thing on this not so fine Thanksgiving day. As you know today is supposed to be our pday and since we are leaving on monday it is much needed to get done all the stuff we needed to get done. but they took it from us without giving us a make up day. so we had to go to the laundry room at 6 this morning and pretty much waited for 30 minutes for 1 machine to open because there were so many people there trying to do laundry, so that was already a bad start to the day. but then we had the devotional and now everything is alright, i dont see how anyone could be upset after that talk. he had his grandchildren get up and sing and i lost it. it just made me think about home and my sisters and my primary kids and the great life i had at home. then he got up and told us all about how poor the world is and how we have the opportunity to go out and to live and to suffer with them to share the message of jesus christ. I hope that as you all have a great thanksgiving day that you will remember those who will go to sleep hungry tonight. and to pray for them. thank you for the stamps haha they havent come yet idk if ill even get them seeing that i leave in 4 days but who knows. ill be sure to mail everyone my address when i get time when i get down there. its going to be so great to hear everyones voices and the stories! i cant wait! I hope that all is well and the next time we talk will be over the phone!!!!

ok so here is the part for the family. sorry this is the only time i could email.

***Val wrote this letter to Val's side of the family to read at Thanksgiving dinner-- none of them are members of the church. It was really neat, his Aunt Sally was able to translate Lil Val's testimony in english. It was very special. ********

Dear Galvan family,

Whhaddddduuuppp! How is everyone doing? I really hope that everyone has a great thanksgiving and that everyone is doing well. As for me, life is great and I couldnt ask to be doing anything else in my life right now. The language is coming along just fine and ive never felt better about myself in my whole life. I know most of you probably do not understand what and why I am doing what I am doing, but to understand all you have to do is remember the life of our savior Jesus Christ. It was his mission on this earth to bring people unto his gospel, and now that he is gone, it is our mission as members of His Church to bring the corners of the world unto him. I have a tremendous opportunity to go out and to talk about jesus for 2 years with people who literally have nothing but who are so giving and loving. I seriously cannot wait to get down there on monday. Here is my testimony of this work in spanish hopefully someone there can read it and understand my gringo idioma haha. yo tengo un testimonio de Jesucristo. Yo se que JesuCristo murio para mi, para ustedes, y para todos en el mundo hoy. JesuCristo sufrio en la cruz para que nosotros recibemos la vida eterna y remission de nuestros pecados. Yo se que Jose Smith trandujo el libro de mormon por el poder de Dios. Yo puedo testificar que el evangelio de jesucristo esta en la tierra hoy y ustedes pueden saber la verdad de este evengelio en el libro de mormon, yo testifico que si ustedes leen el libro de mormon, Dios contestara todos sus preguntas. Dios nos ama. Y yo se que vive mi senor. I love you all and have a great and wonderfull holliday season! Bye!

Elder galvan

Letter 11-20-10

Mother,
Well I am a little upset at the mail services in this joint. The letters I sent last thursday probably didn't get to you till Tuesday because of some Holiday! What the crap is going on in the outside world? I wasn't aware of any Holiday!? Quite frankly I'm not aware of much haha, but I can't wait to get out of here!! 11 days or less! We should be getting our travel plans tonight, which means next week I will be sending info for when I call at the airport.
That's way cool about stake conference (regional) and how the Prophet was speaking to you guys. I know what you mean about the spirit with them, imagine being 15 feet away as they specifically talk about missionary work and missionaries!!!! It's crazy!
Thank you so much for the package! I needed all that stuff badly --a brother was dyin' up in here! I don't know what was better though, the contents of the package or the note on the inside of the shoebox from MacKenzie saying "yeah, Dad actually bought these shoes" haha, what a funny girl.
Speaking of her, how are the girls doing? They seem to have stopped writing so they must be pretty busy. How's nixon? Sometimes I miss him.... sometimes.
Well I'm finally getting over my cold! Feel great now, my nose is a little runny but other than that I'm good.
I seriously can't believe that in 11 days I will be in Nicaragua....
These past 2 months have flown by I hope they have for you as well. I can't wait to talk to you guys. I've missed the sound of your voices, you know like you telling me not to do something that I think is funny hahaha or MacKenzie getting mad when I actually do it. haha, those were the days.
Well yesterday I had the opportunity to host, basically I was doing what that kid was doing on my 1st day when you guys dropped me off at the curb. I greeted 3 new missionaries and took their bags and escorted them around for a little bit. It was a good experience but very wierd. It's hard to act happy at a time like that because seeing all the crying parents reminds me of one of the hardest things I've ever done, and that was leave behind loving parents and caring family. It really hit me hard that I won't be seeing any of you for 2 years, but I then thought of a scripture in D & C when Joseph Smith and others are being kept in jail, and the Lord said to him, "peace be unto thy soul, for thine afflictions will be but a small moment."
I've noticed that I've grown a lot these past couple months, I've learned how to handle things like a man and how to conduct myself as a man of the priesthood. I'm truly grateful for this opportunity to grow up and bless and change lives.
I love you mother, stay strong and stay close to your savior. Su hijo,
Elder Galvan.

Email rec'd 11-18-10

well im glad that everything is going well there in the nice warmth haha, its actually not that cold here its weird becuause it warms up then gets cold, idk utah is just weird. Im also glad to hear that the girls have good friends and are in good hands in this great time of need, the world is a pretty nasty place right now, i know first hand and im glad that they are stronger than i was in highschool to have good friends and be obedient.
But thank you for the get betters. i am pleased to say that i am better now and the mtc is just that more bearable haha. i had a great experience this week when i was asked to host which is where we stand out on the curb and welcome the new missionaries and their families and then take the missionaries with their bags to their destinations. i must say it was a very weird experience. seeing crying moms all over made me think of what i left behind at home and how i wont see any body for 22 more months. its crazy but i also know i have alot of important work to do, more important than sitting at home, BSing around on my mac or whatever else id be doing right now. I was a host to one kid who was literally shivering from nerves, its crazy because i know how hard the MTC is, but im so glad i can say that i made it through and that i was able to push myself to learn and to allow myself to grow up. im very thankful for all of the prayers and everything else. i love you guys so much please please keep doing the things your doing and staying close to your father in heaven. i love you all very dearly and cant wait to talk to you in 11 days or so!

Elder Galvan

Letter 11-15-10

Dearest Mother,
Let everyone know how great it was to receive their letters this week, I can't tell you how much easier it is during the week with letters!! Thank you for sending the stuff I asked for. I look forward to getting that soon. I'll probably be sending you a package when I pack in a few weeks with things I won't need. Such as my blanket and maybe a few other things.
That's so crazy about Kyle losing all that weight, I've gotten pretty flabby here, all that lifting this past year went to crap pretty fast, so hopefully that changes in a few months. haha
Elder Ward from G town AZ got some pics from his mom, one of them was him with the Plowman's oldest daughter....WOW! how come you never hooked it up for the kid?? hahaha anyways...
I hope your biz is going great. Chicago is gonna be a blast, make sure to send me pics! Well, I love you and miss you! Just know that 2 years will be over so fast, I mean look how fast 2 months went by!
Tell everyone I love them and that I'm doing good. I love you mom!
Elder Galvan

P.s. Oh yeah I almost forgot, Elder David A Bednar says hey, yeah we had another apostle this week. How crazy is that! He was my favorite by far. Such a great speaker, I hear that we'll get someone big for Thanksgiving too... who knows! Well keep the letters coming! Love you!!!

Email rec'd 11-11-10 (dad's)

Dad,haha thank you so much for sending the package, i really needed that= stuff and thank you for sending it red! i dont know if ill get it today or= not but hopefully tomorrow, theyre kinda sketchy here with that kind of stuff.

well just some things that happened this week, we had yet another apostle visit, which makes that 4 in a row, and this one was definitely my favorite so far. Elder David Bednar says what up....yeah haha he is the man!=! when he walked in my heart started pounding, he gave such an amazing yet= simple talk on missionary work.

how is everything going for you? chicago= soon yeah? be sure to take pictures and send them or email them to me id= love to see it. thats crazy about tiger but it was bound to happen sooner= or later but i didnt think it would be lee westwood to take it! thats pretty cool though. anyways yeah im so happy= to be getting out of here soon, i cannot wait to get out of this cold,= its the butt crack of winter=over here haha but missionary work is pretty fun. ive gotten pretty decent at spanish, im to the point where i can= understand and read the scriptures in spanish so its pretty dang fun, i love this language so much i cant wait to use it when i get home too, well i love you, keep up the hard work, your the hardest worker i know and= the best example that i could of ever asked for, tell everyone i said hey= and tell shawn that im sorry his boy tiger dropped. I love you, keep the letters coming!

Elder Galvan

Email rec'd 11-11-10

Mother,

I am doing fan freakin tastic with this cold ive had since last friday haha.... it really stinks being sick in here because basically there is no way to get better besides blow your nose till its raw and pop bottles of pills haha but im on the upslope now and everything is going great! we went to the temple again this morning and of course everything is just so much bettter after the temple, when you walk out of the temple at 9 in the morning here in provo, you can see the whole city and the lake and the morninig sun is lighting up the city, its a wonderful sight. thank you so much for the package that i will be getting i really appreciate it because i need it so bad haha those things are exactly what i need. speaking of packages, dont worry about sending me anything for christmas, seriously, i have all i could every ask for and dont need anything else. keep the money and use it for something else or just save it for the girls presents or whatever you need. the lord is taking care of me now and i feel like you guys have done enough by paying for my mission. dad told me about bro hoffman thats pretty crazy, hopefully it will get dad out of webelos....haha hopefully. im glad to hear the girls are doing good. i got cjs letter and have been waiting on one from mack for like 3 weeks! haha her last letter was so funny and entertaining. its crazy how time flies in this joint, i cannot believe i almost 1/12 of the way done with my mission and am going to be headed to nicaragua in a matter of about 17-18 days. its pretty crazy but i cannot wait to get out of here. thank you for your prayers and your fast, i can feel the blessing of the gift of tongues everyday in my life as i get more and more familiar with this language that i am in love with. but at the same time i hear that once we get there, they speak so different and fast that we have to take another 4 months to build ourselves up to the point that we can be fluent but i am so ready! yeah i cannot wait to get out of this cold I HATE THE COLD!!!!!! haha well not hate, it can be pretty nice up here some times, me and blake were talking about maybe coming to school up here later in life... there are some fine hunnies that go to school up here.... hahaha but that would be later when the means are right. well i love all of you and thank you so much for all the prayers. i know that god is blessing you guys too because i pray for you in every single prayer and i have faith that he is carrying out those blessings. stay strong, and know that i am in the lords hands now and will be taken care of according to his will. just know that yes i will be in a dangerous place, but as long as i am obedient he will perform miracles for me and through me. i truely love this work, and i love all of you very dearly.

sincerely

Elder Galvan

Letter 11-6-10

Mom,
It was great to hear back from you today, i'm glad that you had some advice for me last week. I was pretty bummed, but the Lord is always there to pick me up. Ok, first off, I really need hair stuff. I'm completely out...shaving cream, some q-tips, and I can't think of anything else I need, but please send that and anything else you want to send. I'm dyin without it, haha. I look like a straight up dufus because my hair is so flat. But that would be greatly appreciated!
Also, some more pictures of what's been going on in the family and with friends! I know were not big on pictures but just send some recent stuff! I love seeing you guys. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and appreciate you so much.
I've gone to the temple 4 times since I've been here and everytime I pray that you guys will be blessed. I hope all is well, I love you and Heavenly father loves you, write back! and send that stuff soon, please!!
Elder Galvan

Email rec'd 11-4-10

hello mother,

this week has been all kinds of crazy. it all started with the buzz on thursday about who would replace our zone leaders since they are leaving tomorrow. wellllll my companion and i got chosen to be the zone leaders this past sunday haha and to be honest it is such a great calling. if you dont know how the structure of a zone goes it is as follows. Basically the zone is a branch. we have a branch presidency and the branch has about 5 districts which consist of about 8-12 misssionaries each. there is a presidency, zone leaders, then district leaders. to be quite honest i was a little upset a few weeks ago because our district leader was re chosen becuase they change them out every 3 weeks or so, but they re picked one for our district and needless to say it wasnt me ha. i was a little upset because i felt like the ones they had previously picked were lazy, and were not good leaders and not good examples. but apparently i was not picked for that for a reason haha because now me and my companion have the most responsibility out of everyone. we basically assist the presidency in everything, which means about 8 meetings on sunday and a few more throughout the week, its been bonkers but way fun i love being in this calling because i feel comfortable being in a leadership position. but seriously the best thing that has happened to me yet happened the night we became the zone leaders. a girl in one of our districts was pretty sick with a bad migrane and was in need of a blessing. as her new zone leaders, elder weight and i stepped up and did so. he annointed her, and then i sealed the annointing and gave the blessing. it was definitely the most precious thing i have done to date with my priesthood. i have never given a blessing before and really didnt know this hermana very well. but i can testify to you that it wasnt me that was giving the blessing, i was simply the mouth piece, for when the time came to give the blessing my mouth was full of words of advice and blessings for her, and i know it was from the spirit because i was literally about to poop myself from nerves because i had no clue what i was going to say. that was such a great experience. the lord has blessed her, in fact she is behind me now writing letters to her family! such a cool experience. we had ANOTHER apostle this week! M Russell Ballard. i seriously think something big is going on cause its a rarety that you get 3 in a row. anyways his talk was amazing of course, i mean he is an apostle of jesus christ. well im running out of time i love you guys!! hope all is well keep the letters coming!!

Elder Galvan

Letter 10-30-2010

Mother & Father,
It was so great to hear from you this week. Weeks go by so much slower without letters, but it was great to hear that everything was going great. Im glad golf was good for Dad, those places sound pretty amazing. Of course you guys went to Oregano's for lunch, that's just Shawns steeze, that and goattee.
Tell Tata the language is going great, it's hard trying to cram it all in 8 weeks, but we've learned so much already in 4, so I can't wait to see how well I'll speak in 4 more.
I cannot believe it's already been a month that's so crazy.
Mom, I heard you moved into my room already!!!
It's o.k. At least if you're in there I know my stuff is safe! Thank you so much for the package by the way. I'm gonna need more axe hair stuff really soon so that would be nice.
MacKenzie also told me about the golf cart incident, classic! Sounds like it would hurt though!
Well, I already told you about Richard G. Scott. What an amazing talk. He didn't even have much of a talk written, he just spoke by the spirit, so crazy huh! It's such a blessing to be able to hear from apostles of Jesus Christ.
The spirit has taught me many lessons already and I can't wait to learn more, I keep praying and keep asking God to bless you. I pray for you every night & I hope you guys are doing well. Keep me updated on things over there and keep the letters coming!
Love you guys!
Elder Galvan